This article was written by Chris Higley of Friends of St. Augustine's. If you have a story to tell, tell it with us by clicking the Nub It button.

A simple ceremony will take place in St Augustine's Church, Penarth this Sunday, 25 July, marking the formal completion of an ambitious project undertaken by the Friends of St. Augustine's.

The west end of the church is dominated by the superbly carved and gilded Roll of Honour, an impressive tribute to all the men and women of Penarth who fell in the two World Wars. These were not just members of the congregation: the names of townsfolk are listed irrespective of religious denomination.

After nearly a century, the Roll of Honour was in need of some tender loving care and, to mark the centenary of the First War, the 'Friends' raised money to have the monument restored and regilded.

The memorial looked newly resplendent when it was rededicated by the Archbishop of Wales in August 2014, a hundred years after the start of the First War.

St Augustine's is Penarth's only 'Grade 1 listed' building and the Roll of Honour is an important work of art designed by John Dickson Batten and carved and painted by members of the Arts and Crafts movement. A leather-bound copy of the Friends' book, A History of the Roll of Honour, has been placed in the church in order to preserve the knowledge of how the monument was created; its design and subsequent restoration.

The project team were also concerned that the Roll of Honour should not just be a list of names meaning nothing to today's visitors. Following painstaking research by Linda Guilfoyle and contacts made by Kathleen Guy with the families of those commemorated, the Friends of St Augustine's have published a second book, Sons of Penarth, telling the stories of the 207 First World War casualties commemorated on the Roll of Honour.

It also has brief notes on 101 further men and the one woman named on other local memorials. Maps pinpoint the casualties' homes and highlight the appalling effect of the War on some local streets.

The book contains poignant tales, such as the story of the four sons of Frank and Mary Bartlett, three of whom did not return from the War. Albert Howells was so fearful of being thought a coward that he lied about his age in order to join up: he died from wounds in what is now Iraq.

Also buried in Iraq is Earl Malcolm Angove who went from his job with the Taff Vale Railway to join the Welsh Regiment. He left a wife, Gladys, and a young child. The Angoves are the subject of one of the many pictures that have kindly been made available by family members.

Restored from the faded sepia originals, the faces, full of character, stare back from the page looking just like the 'sons of Penarth' whom we see all around us today.

To ensure that the stories of the people named on the memorial are not forgotten by future generations, this Sunday at 11:30, immediately following the morning service, a leather-bound copy of Sons of Penarth will be placed on permanent display in St Augustine's Church. Smaller, paperback, copies of the book have been presented to the families of the casualties and are also available from Griffin Books, Penarth, at £9.99.

Because of COVID precautions, the interior of St Augustine's is, at the moment, not usually open to visitors. Sunday's short event will provide a welcome opportunity for anyone interested to view the Roll of Honour and to meet the project team.